CBS Touts ‘Cash for Clunkers’ As ‘Great For the Environment

August 4th, 2009 5:33 PM
After depicting the ‘Cash for Clunkers’ car buying program as a "runaway success" on Friday, on Tuesday’s Early Show, correspondent Nancy Cordes argued: "The Department of Transportation says the program has been great for the environment. 80% of the clunkers have been pickups or SUVs, traded in for new cars with an average mileage nearly 10 miles per gallon higher."Following that declaration…

CBS Promotes Obama PR Video As Sign of ‘Transparency

August 3rd, 2009 4:38 PM
At the top of Monday’s CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith touted a White House-produced video: "And your letters to the President...A behind-the-scenes look at how President Obama keeps in touch with everyday Americans." After airing the administration spin, co-host Maggie Rodriguez argued it was "all part of Obama’s promise of transparency in the people’s White House."Smith introduced the…

CBS Sees ‘Runaway Success’ in Failing ‘Cash for Clunkers’ Prog

July 31st, 2009 1:37 PM
Reporting on the Obama administration’s ‘Cash for Clunkers’ car buying program running out of money, CBS correspondent Nancy Cordes offered a mixed message: "‘Cash for Clunkers’ has been such a runaway success....The program is so popular...word spread it would be suspended...because of fears that sales would soon swallow up the $1 billion for rebates the government had set aside."At the top of…

CBS Early Show Details Obama Summer Vacation Plans

July 29th, 2009 3:17 PM
Taking a break from President Obama’s failing health care plan or the Henry Gates controversy, at the top of Wednesday’s CBS Early Show, co-host Maggie Rodriguez focused on a more important story: "And move over, Martha. The First Family chooses a popular celebrity retreat for their vacation. We'll tell you where the President will tee off."Rodriguez later introduced the segment by declaring: "…

CBS Early Show Uses Obama Volunteer to Promote Health Care Reform

July 22nd, 2009 4:31 PM
While reporting on President Obama’s efforts to pass health care reform legislation on Wednesday’s CBS Early Show, co-host Maggie Rodriguez cited one person who would benefit from the plan: "Debby Smith from Virginia...lost her job back in 2006, and lost her health care benefits, and says that she can't afford the $700 a month that it would cost take to pay for her own insurance."What Rodriguez…

CBS’s Couric Sympathizes With Obama: ‘Is Your Confidence Ever Shak

July 22nd, 2009 1:15 PM
In her Tuesday interview with President Obama, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric wondered: "You're so confident, Mr. President, and so focused. Is your confidence ever shaken? Do you ever wake up and say, ‘Damn, this is hard. Damn, I'm not going to get the things done I want to get done and it’s just too politicized to really get accomplished the big things I want to accomplish’?" [audio…

CBS Analyst: Taliban Treats Prisoners Better Than U.S

July 20th, 2009 1:51 PM
In reaction to a propaganda video of the Taliban holding an American soldier hostage in Afghanistan, on Monday’s CBS Early Show, terrorism analyst Jere Van Dyk argued: “What they [the Taliban] are saying is that ‘we can treat American soldiers, we can treat prisoners, better than Americans are treating them.’”Speaking to co-host Maggie Rodriguez about the capture of Private First Class Bowe…

CBS Remembers JFK Jr. As Both an ‘Icon’ and ‘A Regular Guy

July 16th, 2009 12:19 PM
At the top of Thursday’s CBS Early Show, co-host Harry Smith marked the ten-year anniversary of the death of JFK Jr. by declaring: "He was such an icon in the city [New York], and we're going to remember JFK Jr. a little bit later on this morning." In the later segment, Smith described Kennedy as "a paparazzi magnet" who was "crowned the sexiest man alive." Smith went on to exclaim: "Now ten…

Pre-Marital Sex: Everybody’s Doing It According to CBS’ Rodriguez

July 15th, 2009 4:11 PM
Australian researchers released new findings concerning marriage and divorce this week and it has received mild coverage on the news programs in the United States. "The Early Show" on CBS decided to take a crack at discussing the report on Wednesday morning and only succeeded in sounding uninformed and out of touch. Maggie Rodriguez, co-anchor and the star of the week on NewsBusters, had her…

Maggie Rodriguez Brings La Raza Perspective to CBS

July 14th, 2009 4:53 PM
A cover story in the June edition of Latino Magazine, discussed CBS Early Show co-host Maggie Rodriguez’s efforts to "...educate her peers on how to be cognizant of Latino viewers, by pushing stories about Latinos that are of interest to all Americans, as well as informing them of more humane and respectful labels – such as undocumented immigrant instead of illegal alien."The story, written by…

CBS’ Rodriguez ‘Proud’ of Jackson Coverage

July 14th, 2009 8:15 AM
Maggie Rodriguez wants us to know that she's a real journalist. "If I were to program a show for my viewing pleasure, I would make it all news," she told Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post in a July 13 article. But the host of CBS's "Early Show" also insisted, "I'm not a journalistic snob." Good thing too, because when you work for a network that dedicated 37 percent of its nightly news…

CBS Report Echoes DNC's Partisan Anti-Palin Slam

July 6th, 2009 11:12 AM
As the broadcast network evening newscasts reported Friday on Sarah Palin's decision to resign as Alaska's governor, some of the negative wording on the CBS Evening News sounded eerily similar to the partisan statement attacking Palin that was released by the Democratic National Committee, which was quoted the same evening on FNC's Fox Report, and on Special Report with Bret Baier.As she began…

CBS’s Smith Calls Middle America-hating Megan Fox a ‘Nice Person

June 30th, 2009 12:01 PM
Teasing an upcoming interview with actress Megan Fox on Tuesday’s Early Show, co-host Harry Smith gushed: "...this woman has jumped from virtual unknown to Hollywood A-lister. It doesn’t hurt she is one of the most beautiful women on the planet...And a very nice young person." Smith failed to make any mention of the "Transformers" star’s controversial comments in a June 5 interview, in which she…

CBS Wonders About Possible John Edwards Comeback

June 19th, 2009 11:11 AM
CBS Early Show co-host Maggie Rodriguez wondered on Friday: "Lots of politicians get caught having affairs, as you know. The trick, though, is making a comeback. It’s happened before, but the question is does John Edwards have a political future?"Rodriguez later introduced the segment by citing Edwards’ recent comments about his political future in a Washington Post interview: "Newt Gingrich and…